At my local farmers market almost every booth has white peaches. I love the flavor of them and try to incorporate them into many dishes over the summer. There is nothing like going to the market, supporting local growers and coming home to create new dishes.

Last year I discovered a great recipe by Bobby Flay, Grilled Chicken with Peaches. The recipe has a flavor packed sauce to baste both the chicken and peaches with. I had a few leftover peaches and used them in a salad.

So this morning I made up a batch of the sauce, grilled a few peaches and made a tasty salad for lunch. You could make the sauce and peaches earlier in the day and put the salad together at the last minutes.

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I thought we needed something light after all that baking. Here in Southern California it is a warm, beautiful day. Don’t hate me, in June when it is hot elsewhere, we have what we call June gloom.

This is light and flavorful salad. I used Meyer Lemons, because they are in season, but you can use regular lemons too! Also, use the best olive oil you can afford. It really does make a difference in salad dressings. I used the oil we got in Italy.

Arugula Salad with Meyer Lemon, Olive Oil and Parmesan

2 bunches arugula, washed, dried, and torn
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 - 1 lemon, juiced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

In a bowl whisk the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper together. Taste for seasoning. I like it tart but you can use 1/2 instead of the whole lemon.

Toss the arugula with the dressing and mix with most of the cheese. Plate the salad and top with more Parmigiano. You could shave a few big pieces on the top with a vegetable peeler.

I am excited to share this recipe with you. About a year ago, my cousin and fellow foodie, Cassie, went to Pizzeria Mozza to check out Nancy Silverton’s newest restaurant. The restaurant is in Los Angeles and is a collaboration between Nancy and Mario Batali. I’ll tell you more about the restaurant another day. I have been back several times since and each time my friends and I take a bite of the the Winter Caprese Salad, we ooh and ah.

Burrata cheese means “buttered” in Italian. It is made of mozzarella and cheese…no wonder everyone loves it.

The salad is a flavor packed mixture of burrata cheese topped with a layer of pesto, topped with slow roasted cherry tomatoes. I used olive oil from Podere Pornanino, a family run extra virgin olive estate in Chianti. This summer I visited the estate and we had a private tour with the owner and his son. If you are ever there go visit.

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